As the end of summer draws near in Indiana, it’s time to start thinking about fall lawn care. Central Indiana’s summers can be harsh on even the healthiest lawns as heavy use, traffic, drought, and high heat can cause stress, damage, and lawn fatigue. If your grass starts to look tired, with bare patchy spots and spongy areas, it may need lawn aeration. Read on to learn everything you need to know to determine if your Indiana lawn is suffering from compacted soil, how you can revitalize it with aeration and overseeding, and the benefits of aerating and overseeding your grass.
What Is Compacted Soil?
The large amount of time we spend playing on, walking on, and even mowing our grass can cause the soil underneath to become compact. The situation can be made worse by an added layer of thatch or organic matter that creates a barrier between the grass and the soil. When soil is compact, it doesn’t allow water, nutrients, or even air to pass through it. This will cause your grass to wither, weaken, and exhibit signs of drought.
How Do You Know If You Have Compacted Soil?
Compacted soil can look and feel like many other lawn conditions. You can perform your own do-it-yourself soil test by placing a screwdriver into the ground. If it’s dry and does not penetrate the earth easily, your soil is probably compacted. There are a few telltale signs to look for, including:
- Bare or patchy areas of grass
- Spongy grass that feels soft when you walk on it
- Pooling areas of water in your yard
- Stunted growth of plants
- Hard soil
The best way to treat compact soil is through a process called aeration.
What is Lawn Aeration?
When your soil becomes compacted, it can suffocate the roots. Aeration is the process of creating holes throughout your grass to redistribute the soil. This process allows air, water, oxygen, and nutrients to permeate the roots of your soil. Aeration can be done by poking holes in your lawn with special boots or through a machine, many lawn care companies own called an aerator.
At Picasso Lawn and Landscape, we offer professional aeration services throughout central Indiana that can reverse existing deterioration and restore the overall health of your residential or commercial property.
Benefits of Lawn Aeration
Lawn aeration helps to breathe new life back into your lawn but the benefits of aeration don’t stop there. Other benefits include:
- Deeper, stronger root growth
- Thicker, healthier grass
- Grass will grow much easier
- Bald and thinning patches filled in
- A breakdown in thatch build-up
- A reduction in water runoff
- A healthier, more substantial yard
When is the Best Time To Aerate?
Aerating a lawn should be done once a year or, at least, once every other year. It should only be done during the growing season for your grass, as this will allow your lawn to recover quickly after the service. Here at Picasso Lawn & Landscape, we typically perform aeration in the fall. However, under specific circumstances, we will complete it in the spring.
Overseeding Your Lawn
After aerating your lawn, it is primed and ready for overseeding. Overseeding is introducing new types of grass seed to the existing turf with other strains of grass. Its many purposes include
- To fill in any bare areas
- To create thicker grass and prevent weeds
- Fend off pests, drought, and disease
- Enhance appearance and color
Our team at Picasso Lawn and Landscape default to using a 70/30 blend for overseeding, but it can be customized to your turf’s needs. We are well-versed in the needs of different lawns, so we will work with each client, both commercial and residential, to see what kind of seed blend is right for them.
Get Aeration and Overseeding Services From Picasso Lawn and Landscape
The team at Picasso Lawn and Landscape is here to provide you with the lawn and landscape services that you need. This includes aeration and overseeding. If your lawn has been overworked this summer, revitalize it and give it the care and compassion it needs. Contact us to learn more about our aeration and overseeding services. You can contact us online or give us a call at 317-253-5296.
Other services we provide include mowing, mulch installation, weed control, and a fertilization program, landscape design, and renovations. In the winter, we are your go-to snow removal company and offer bobcat machines for rental to commercial businesses.
Did you find this article useful? Then please share it with family and friends. Then, check out our other blog articles and get to know us better via our Facebook page.